[Italy] Italy steps towards recognising complexity of gender identity
Lucia is a 50-year-old transsexual: she is a woman although, anatomically, she is male. She lives in the town of Arco in the province of Trento, northern Italy, and the court of Rovereto has permitted her to change the gender on her official documents even though she has not undergone reassignment surgery. This is the first case in Italy in which the person who has applied for the official recognition of gender change has not had any surgery, not even a breast implant.

[Russia] Anti-Gay Law Blamed in Visa Denial
U.S. pop star Selena Gomez has been forced to cancel two concerts in Russia after indirectly falling victim to Russia's anti-gay law, concert organizers said Thursday.

[Vietnam] Vietnam’s Next Top Model show hits controversy
There was plenty of controversy surrounding the story behind 23-year old Jenna Talackova when she was disqualified for being a contestant in last year’s Miss Universe pageant for not being a “natural born woman”.

[Australia] Trans community responds to proposed Marriage Equality Bill
The nation’s gay and lesbian community may be rejoicing at the ACT’s introduction of the Marriage Equality Bill into the ACT Legislative Assembly, but the country’s intersex, transgender and gender diverse communities are asking where is their legislation?

[New Zealand] Top Surgery No longer Offered by Auckland Surgeon
Auckland surgeon, Wayne Jones, says due to an increase in workload he can no longer provide trans* and gender diverse patients with chest reconstruction surgery covered under the public health system.

[CA, USA] SUHSD agrees to research new state transgender legislation
Opposition was expressed during last week’s Siskiyou Union High School District board of trustees meeting to the California bill that gives transgender students the right to compete on sports teams and use facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms based on their gender identity.

[FL, USA] ACLU of Florida Files Complaint Over Transgender Student's Discrimination
Back in July, we told you about transgender nursing student Alex Wilson, who was told by administrators at Pinellas Technical Education Centers that she could not use the ladies' restroom and was forced to walk across campus to use a single-person's restroom instead. The school also allegedly threatened to press charges against Wilson if she continued to use the ladies' room, which would mean an end to getting a nursing degree.

[OR, USA] Targeting Oppression
Overlaying the woodland camouflage pattern on her T-shirt, thin pink lines swirl together into a scene of butterflies hovering over cowering riot police and flames rising in the background. Ariel Howland, a recent graduate of the University of Oregon’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS), has some major beefs with the establishment — patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, etc.